Down for the Count
by darkling59
Summary: After the battle of Karakura Town, our favorite simple shopkeeper and part time mad-scientist finds the mostly-dead primera buried beneath the rubble and reacts...characteristically. Starrk is not amused. Urahara is intrigued. (Occurs immediately post-Winter War)
1. Chapter 1

**Title: **Down for the Count**  
Author: **darkling59**  
Rating: **T**  
Date: **1/19/2014  
**Disclaimer:** Bleach and all related characters, plots, etc. do not belong to me.  
**Warnings: **fix-it fic, now AU  
**Summary**: After the battle of Karakura Town, our favorite simple shopkeeper and part time mad-scientist finds the mostly-dead primera buried beneath the rubble and reacts...characteristically. Starrk is not amused. Urahara is intrigued.

* * *

It was over.

Starrk sprawled unmoving under a collapsed building, alive but breathing shallowly. Tier lay amongst the rubble, dead or dying. Barragan was definitely dead, dissolved in front of them all. The fraccion fell before their espada, reiatsu flickering out like candles before the shinigami captains.

From his prone position, Starrk wondered tiredly if there had ever been a possibility of winning. The three of them against all of those captains…how many were there? Seven? Eight? Going in, they'd known the fraccion would only be fit to fight the lieutenants but, in their folly, they'd thought the primera, segunda, and tercera would be enough to defeat the most powerful of the shinigami, regardless of their opponents' strength in numbers.

They believed as such because Aizen had faith in them, had told them they would be sufficient. He had planned every little detail, down to the exact minute each of them should join the fight.

And, apparently, the exact minute each of them would die.

They were never meant to succeed, Starrk understood now, Aizen had brought them to buy time for the Hogyoku to awaken. He'd never intended them to survive, or even make a dent against the shinigami.

Their God had watched them get cut down with a smile on his face.

Starrk gave a quiet, resigned sigh, sending up a cloud of dust from the coating that had settled over him, and on the ground he was lying on, with the destruction of the surrounding buildings. He'd suspected midway through the fight that things would end badly. Despite Lilynette's violent encouragement, he'd been right.

With a grimace, he flattened his palms against the ground, pushing futilely in an attempt to get to this hands and knees. Unfortunately, there were literally tons of rubble from collapsed apartments and office buildings pinning him down, keeping him immobile. Normally, no amount of physical weight would matter, but the wound he'd received stole a lot of his energy…he still saw spots if he moved too fast or pushed too hard, and he didn't even want to consider what would happen if he attempted to summon a Cero or open a Garganta.

Giving up the attempt, he rested his arms back on the ground, propping his chin up with one fist. He'd been fortunate a support pillar fell in such a way as to shelter his head and shoulders. Even in his weakened state, his heirro would keep him from being crushed to death, but it would have been damned uncomfortable for his head and neck to be pinned.

He gave another sigh and closed his eyes. The only thing that would get him out of this mess would be his own strength, and that would return with time and rest. It was too bad didn't have healing kido capable of fixing wounds within minutes, like the shinigami, but he could make do with his natural abilities. With that thought in mind (this was hardly the worst condition he'd been in over his long life), he diverted as much energy as he could spare into fixing his injuries and allowed his breathing to even out, propelling himself into deep, healing sleep.

In his state, it was more akin to hibernation than true sleep and the only reason he chose to indulge was because he was absolutely certain no one would come looking for him.

That wasn't an assumption he should have made.

Kisuke Urahara discovered the former primera less than three hours later, zeroing in on his reiatsu signature via technological means. Starrk was so deeply asleep that he didn't even wake up when Kisuke freed him from the rubble, and only gave a sleepy snuffle when the shopkeeper applied a binding/stasis kido to keep him asleep and immobile for transportation back to the lab beneath Urahara shoten.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

Happy Birthday, Lilynette and Starrk!

I really wanted to update some of my chaptered stories for the occasion, but I wasn't able to finish in time. But I still hope y'all enjoy this!

**Please read and review!**

* * *

(A/N: So it got updated a little late...I suppose this is happy _belated _birthday. Whoops.)


	2. Chapter 2

**Title: **Down for the Count**  
Author: **darkling59**  
Rating: **T**  
Date: **1/19/2014  
**Disclaimer:** Bleach and all related characters, plots, etc. do not belong to me.  
**Warnings: **fix-it fic, now AU

* * *

Waking up was not a pleasant experience.

Starrk was used to sleeping in the quiet, soft darkness of his quarters in Las Noches. It wasn't ideal, but he had grown used to it and was actually rather fond of his bedroom. Lilynette was free to come and go as she pleased, but otherwise he was left to wake up and fall asleep peacefully, on his own time and in his own way.

This was not like that. At all.

He was awoken by searing bright lights burning into his eyelids, and a strange prickling, burning sensation running up and down his arms. When he tried to bring them up to cover his eyes or roll over to escape the light, he found his limbs uncooperative and a searing pain shot through his chest, followed by an uncomfortable pressure in the same spot.

With a protesting grumble, the primera squinted open his eyes and gazed blearily at his surroundings, uncomprehending. It was all…_bright. _Unwilling to consider the implications, he closed his eyes and drifted into a light doze, giving his mind time to wake up and reconnect with reality.

The bemused downturn of his lips intensified into a deep frown as he remembered the final battle, and his condition at the end of it. He could tell time had passed since then, although he didn't know how much, and that his injuries were almost completely healed. But…if that was the case…why did his chest hurt so badly? And where was he?

Finally ready to face the world, he opened his eyes slowly, giving them time to adjust to the brightness, and tried to look around. Unfortunately, the light dazzled his eyes and only allowed him to see what was illuminated and kept him from observing the dimensions and walls of the room he was in. However, what he could see was more than enough.

Both wrists and ankles were bound to the surface he was lying on by wide, soft straps which were somehow dampening his reiatsu. While he was unconscious, someone had removed most of the trappings of his resurreccion, leaving him garbed in only his black pants. It was an odd feeling…the clothes were a part of his power… but not harmful, and the surface he was lying on was a comfortable temperature so he didn't find himself missing his shirt and jacket.

He was lying on a padded stretcher, surrounded by a variety of complicated looking electronic medical devices. One of them was connected to each arm via needle, and another trailed wires from his hollow hole and mask. The only other thing attached to his skin was a series of small white suction-cup like devices that had been placed at regular intervals around his wound. Speaking of which, the injury was bound with fresh white bandages, with a hole cut through the middle around his hollow hole.

To his bemusement, there was another device (some sort of probe?) sticking out his hollow hole. When he tried to dislodge it by shifting around, it rubbed against the inside of his wound and he sucked in a pained gasp – that was the pain he'd felt earlier.

Other than the thing in his chest, he was surprisingly comfortable, even mostly immobilized. None of the restraints were stiff or tight, the stretcher was padded, and the ambient temperature was not too hot or cold. The pain he felt was sporadic and (probably) unintentional and the IV lines prickled, but didn't hurt. He must have been captured, but the conditions were much better than he'd expected from being a prisoner of the shinigami.

But he _was _a prisoner and he did _not _appreciate being tied down. However, before he could do anything about it (like blow up the table with a cero, or…well, that was about it), the gradual _clak-clak-clak_ of approaching wooden geta diverted his attention. He vision was still destroyed by the lights, so he couldn't tell where the door was, but the resonance indicated that the owner of the shoes was less than ten feet away, on the other side of a wall.

Immediately, he closed his eyes and relaxed his body, deciding that playing dead would be his best bet. If he was lucky, his captor would let something slip or lower his guard while Starrk was 'unconscious'. If not, he still might be able to take the shinigami by surprise.

He didn't react when the door swung open.

"Now, let's see to our guest, shall we?" Male. Captain-class shinigami. Primary captor, if the statement was anything to go by.

"An espada, Kisuke? You've done a lot of stupid things over the years, but _this_…" Female. Also a captain-class shinigami. Strange (feline?) reiatsu. Less obvious connection to the situation.

The man cut her off with a light-hearted chuckle, coming to a halt at Starrk's side and tinkering with the equipment.

"Maa, Yoruichi-san, are you worried?" No response, but Starrk could _feel _the disapproval radiating from Yoruichi. So could Kisuke, because he immediately continued, sounding more serious and reassuring. "There's no need to be afraid! _These-_" He tapped the IV line leading to Starrk's right arm. "-make sure his reiatsu stays at manageable levels and _this_-" He touched the wires leading from Starrk's mask and the metal thing in his hollow hole. "-records his vital signs. I will know immediately if his power levels change, or if he is about to wake up."

"Hm." Yoruichi shifted closer, sounding far more at ease than she should have, considering how badly Kisuke had underestimated Starrk (Not that they knew that. Yet.). "How do you know it will work? You've never had an arrancar before."

"I applied knowledge of a similar situation. I'm sure Hirako-san would be pleased to know my data was put to good use."

"Ah. You're sure this is safe?"

"Of course! My data is perfectly sound, provided he remains in his base energy state and he won't be getting any more power without his zanpakuto."

_Ah. _Apparently his reiatsu had been so depleted by dealing with his injuries that his resurreccion was mistaken for his base form. That explained a lot.

"Ri-ight." She obviously didn't believe him, but headed for the doorway anyway. "Well, I'm going to leave before you blow the lab up again.

"You don't want to be here when he wakes up?" It sounded like he was _pouting._

"Wakes up?!" Any peace in her tone vanished. "Kisuke, you can't wake him up! He's Aizen's _primera espada_!"

"Yes, yes! But I'm sure he'll be properly grateful for my services, especially now that Aizen's… indisposed."

"Really. You think he'll be grateful to wake up in your lab, strapped to a table with a metal stick in his chest."

Starrk couldn't have said it better himself.

"It's not a stick! It's a reaitsu meter…and our guest won't be waking up here. Once the procedure is complete, Tessai will move him to more comfortable location."

"You're keeping him asleep?"

Kisuke fiddled with the IV lines again, this time adjusting the left one. "These make sure he has a stable level of reiatsu in his system, keeping him in a constant state. Fortunately, he was asleep when I found him, so he will stay asleep until I remove the IV lines."

_Another assumption. Perhaps that is what happens with shinigami?_

"He was _unconscious_."

"Indeed he was!" An absolute lack of concern underscored the words. "I only have one more test to perform, and then he can be transferred. It should take at least five minutes before he wakes up after that."

"Well, let me know if you need any help." She sounded dubious, but didn't protest, and Starrk could sense her leaving the room, although she made no noise when she wasn't speaking.

"Yes, yes. " Kisuke was fully absorbed in the readouts he was getting from the machines attached to Starrk. "It shouldn't take long. All I need is a scraping from his mask to analyze…"

Starrk froze. _What._

He felt the presence lean over him, but the second the shinigami touched his mask, his eyes snapped open in a scorching, wide awake glare.

"OH." Kisuke froze, right hand still gripping the arrancar's mask lightly. "Oh dear."

For a moment, they simply stared at each other, but then Starrk's eyebrows drew together into a displeased expression.

"Get off."

"Ah, sorry Arrancar-san, however I need-."

A cero flickered into existence over Starrk's chest, dangerously close to Kisuke's hand and pulsing slowly stronger.

"Get. Off."

The shinigami immediately jumped backwards, reaching for his cane, ready to call on his zanpakuto at a second's notice. However, as soon as he pulled away the cero flickered out and Starrk still didn't move, simply staring suspiciously at the other man.

"Is this Soul Society?"

"Ah…what?"

"You're a shinigami. I've been captured. Is this Soul Society?"

"No, no…I'm just a humble shopkeeper and this is the basement of my establishment…"

"Hn." Starrk had no idea what a shopkeeper was, but he relaxed slightly to hear that he wasn't confined within shinigami territory. "Who are you?"

"Urahara Kisuke, owner of this store. And you are?"

"Coyote Starrk."

Slowly, Kisuke's hand was coming away from his zanpakuto, but his movements were cautious and slow as he moved forward.

"Sorry, Starrk-san, but I believe I should remove these." He waved at the devices on Starrk's chest.

The espada eyed him, but didn't protest, so Kisuke slowly peeled the electrodes away, taking note of the results as he went, and then drew the probe out of Starrk's chest. At the sudden intake of breath, he paused and eyed his subject keenly.

"Did that hurt?"

"Eh." Starrk shrugged and twisted on the table, pushed himself up on his elbows.

"Starrk-san, please don't try to escape. The bindings are -."

_Completely ineffective. _

Urahara fell silent as Starrk easily ripped the straps off the table, leaving them trailing from his wrists, unattached to anything. He didn't even seem to notice the difference when he pulled the IVs out and fully freed himself from the table. Theoretically, the dampening effects of the restraints should still be working since they were in contact with his skin, but they didn't seem to be doing much good.

Kisuke's mind was working a mile a minute, coming to terms with this new development to an already dangerous situation. The espada seemed cranky (and who wouldn't be?) but not violent or angry. He was willing to talk, and listen, and didn't seem all that put out that he'd awakened tied up and being experimented on.

That was…very interesting.

"What?" Starrk sat up slowly, pushing himself until he was sitting with his legs dangling over the side of the stretcher, and looked at his host.

"Ah, nothing. How do you feel?"

Starrk shot him a _look_ and yawned widely, and then frowned at his bare feet. Before he could complain or ask where the rest of his attire was, Urahara jumped in with a wide smile.

"If you're tired, I could show you to a guest room."

"…What?"

"Yes, yes…let's call it an apology for the unfortunate conditions you awakened in, hm?"

The arrancar blinked in confusion as his captor (?) opened a folding fan and peered at him over it with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. There was no way in Hueco Mundo or Soul Society that he would _trust _the other man, but a bed sounded like a good idea right now. He was still weak, along with his normal laziness, and this could be his only offer anytime soon (considering Las Noches had probably been destroyed).

"…Okay."

"Perfect! This way, Starrk-san."

Urahara led the bewildered arrancar out of his laboratory, directing him past the fortified storeroom they had been planning to use as a cell and towards an actual guest room. Apparently the extra security wouldn't be needed, as this arrancar was quite an easy going fellow.

The possibilities of having an espada-level arrancar frequenting his store made Urahara's mind spin and a slow smile spread over his face. The potential positives far outweighed the negatives, especially if he could wrangle a favor out of the situation.

_Interesting, indeed…_

* * *

**Author's Note:**

That's all, folks!

I hope you enjoyed it. Kisuke always seems to be in his 'mad scientist' persona in my fanfics, doesn't he? XD Though this little endeavor will no doubt get him in BIG trouble with Yoruichi.

erm...

I've got nothin'. I'm too tired to write a more substantial author's note. I'll finish the HatM updates tomorrow.

**Adios, lovely people! Please review and let me know what you think!**


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